China launches Yaogan satellites for scientific experiments

China launched three Yaogan remote sensing satellites on Thursday aboard a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan province, with state media reporting the payloads successfully entered their preset orbits for scientific work.

Electromagnetic detection

The satellites — designated Yaogan-51 07-09 — will conduct electromagnetic environment detection and scientific experiments while circling Earth, according to the Xinhua news agency. The launch represents the latest step in Beijing's expanding space-based observation capabilities.

Rocket series milestone

The mission marked the 675th flight of China's Long March carrier rocket series, a workhorse fleet that has underpinned the nation's space program for decades. State broadcaster CCTV confirmed the successful separation of the satellite cluster minutes after liftoff from the mountainous launch site.

The launch comes just weeks after China deployed a batch of low-orbit internet satellites from Hainan province on October 25, which marked the 674th mission of the Long March series. Beijing has accelerated its launch cadence as it builds out satellite constellations for communications and Earth observation.